Chapter 20

20

HALO

I stare down at my phone as it buzzes on the table. I don't want to talk to my mom while I'm having dinner, but Riot notices who the caller is.

"You can answer it, it's fine."

While I really have nothing to say right now, she's only going to keep calling. I planned on calling her back tonight, but she's tried to call me several times and texted telling me to call her.

"We're having dinner though," I say. "It'll ruin the mood."

"I'm just sayin' it's fine if you want to get it over with."

How does this man know me so well?

I sigh, picking up my phone. "Hi, Mom."

"Halo? Is that you?"

"Of course it's me, Mom, you called my phone." I shouldn't roll my eyes, but I'm way past the guilt trips that my mother's put me through over the years. Now I just cut straight to the chase.

"Halo, it's your father." My mom's voice sounds through the phone.

My blood runs cold and pain hits my chest. "Dad? What's wrong with him?"

"He— he had a turn, and he's in the hospital."

"Oh my God." My eyes meet Riot's, he frowns, seeing my distress. "Is he okay?" I brace myself for the worst.

"They think so. He's having some tests."

I close my eyes. My dad. I mean, I know we've had our ups and downs, but he's still my father. Panic surges through me. "What happened?"

"He had chest pains, and then I drove him to the hospital. He was asking for you."

I swallow hard, my gut clenching. "I'll come home." I say the words before I even have a chance to digest them. Of course I'll come home. I only have one dad, and no matter what he's said and done in the past, I need to see him. Guilt washes over me all over again, but this time for different reasons.

"That would be wonderful," Mom says. "We'd love to see you, it's been such a long time."

I want to tell her that she knows the reason behind that. I also want to tell her that giving Ian my address in New Orleans isn't going to work. But I keep my mouth closed. Now isn't the time nor the place.

"I'll come tonight. I'm out to dinner, but we can be there soon."

There's a pause. "We?"

"Uh." Shit. She picked up on that. Oh, well. There's no time like the present. "Mom, I'm seeing someone. His name is… Myles, and he's wonderful."

"Ah, yes, Ian mentioned that he had a run in with some uncouth biker outside your apartment," Mom says. "Please don't tell me that this is the same man you're referring to? I told Ian he couldn't possibly be right. My daughter with a biker?" She says biker with so much disdain I cringe.

Oh. He. Did. Not.

"Ian showed up at my door, Mom. I don't appreciate you giving him my address." I don't care if that upsets her. I'm upset about having to see him again. "After the way he treated me, I want nothing to do with him."

"Honey, I didn't give him your address. Daddy must've done it by accident. You know how well he and Ian get along."

Yep, I do. I also know that Ian thinks I'm not good enough, especially a few pounds heavier than his ‘ideal' woman. He's disgusting. He deserved to be beaten to a pulp.

"That's not the point, Mom. But I don't want to argue about this now."

"I think it's best if you come in the morning," she says out of nowhere. "It's late."

"Mom, we can be there in a few hours."

There is no way that I'm staying in my family home under their roof. Not after everything. We'll find a place to stay. There are plenty of Airbnbs in the Parish, it won't be that hard.

"I'll only worry with you on the road and Daddy is sleeping anyhow. Please tell me you won't be arriving on a motorcycle."

I clench my teeth. "I'll see you in the morning, we'll leave early."

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, Mom." I hang up and stare at my hands for a few moments.

"Halo? Is everything okay?" Riot's concerned eyes are framed by his dark brow. "What happened?"

"I— I'm not sure. She said Dad had a turn, he's in the hospital."

"I'm sorry. If you need to go there now, we can drive."

"It's okay, we can leave in the morning, if you're still okay to do that? Or I can just go by myself."

He shakes his head. "It's best we get this over with early. We're together, and it'd be good to let your parents know that I'm not goin' anywhere."

I smile despite myself. "My mom isn't the most delicate of creatures."

"So where do you get it from?"

There's a soft smile to my lips when I say, "My grandmother. She was the sweetest, dearest woman. I don't know how she raised my mom, truth be told."

His lips twitch as he reaches across the table to squeeze my hand. "It's gonna be okay. No matter what happens, you need to be there for your dad."

I nod. "I know. I just hope they don't try and sabotage us because I know already my mom doesn't approve. Ian told her you're with the NOLA Rebels."

"Are you worried about it?"

"I'm not," I say honestly. "I love you, Riot. I'm in love with you, and nothing my parents say is going to change that."

"I love you, too, babe. I'm here no matter what, okay? Not goin' anywhere."

I look down at my bowl. We ordered Thai and it's my favorite, but now I don't even feel like eating. Thinking about my dad and what could be wrong with him. He's always been a workaholic, ever since I was old enough to remember him going off to the office. They may have done the wrong thing by trying to force Ian on me, but they're still my parents, no matter what.

"I just feel bad," I whisper. "I haven't spoken to my dad in as long as I can remember. Ever since I moved here. Granted, he stopped taking my calls, but that's not the point."

He rubs his thumb over my knuckles. "Babe, none of it matters. You're livin' your life on your own terms. Your parents need to accept that. You've got nothin' to feel bad about."

"What if he's really sick?"

"If he was, your mom would've been insistent you leave tonight. She wasn't, right?"

"No, she just said he'd had a turn."

"If you want to go tonight, we can."

I grab my phone. "I have to find some accommodation for us, staying at my parents' house isn't an option."

"I can do that."

I glance up at him. "It'll give me something to do when we get home, take my mind off things."

He brings my hand to his mouth, kissing my knuckles. "I'll take your mind off things another way."

I smirk. "I'm sure you can."

I tingle when I think about what he did to me on the couch when I gave him the breathing otter. It was so freaking hot. The man has a sex drive like I've never known and I'm here for it. The fact he loved the stuffed toy, and he didn't find it dumb, makes me feel ten feet tall. But that's just Riot; he's the whole package. No matter what my family thinks about him, or more his part in the NOLA Rebels, I'm not going to let them pick Riot apart. Or me. I'm done with their narrow mindedness, and maybe it's time I started voicing things a little better. I don't need to get mad. I don't need to yell. I just need to set the record straight. Dad may not be in a position to hear it, but Mom certainly is. After what they put me through and the emotional trauma of almost forcing me on this arrogant asshole, I'm newly entitled to tell them that they're not going to rule my life anymore. I'm a grown ass woman and I've proved I can stand on my own two feet.

He nods to my half-eaten bowl. "Did you want to take that with us?"

I nod. "I can reheat it later if I get hungry. My appetite is just kind of off right now."

"I'll get the check and we can wrap that up."

I smile gratefully, excusing myself to the ladies' room so I can have a private panic in there by myself. My dad's health is paramount, and while my parents aren't getting any younger, he's always been pretty fit and healthy.

I shoot him a text.

Me:

Hey Dad, Mom just called. I'm sorry you've been unwell. I'll be home in the morning to see you x

I hit send before I chicken out. I don't expect him to reply, but it's the right thing to do. If anything ever happened and we never got to talk again, I'd never forgive myself. Sometimes. you just have to be the bigger person.

I send a silent prayer that everything will be okay and I pull myself together.

I check the doggie cam while I'm in the bathroom and I smile when I see Cookie making his way to his water bowl, has a big boy's drink and meanders back to his fluffy bed. How can you miss a dog you've barely even known? But I do. I miss him after a couple of hours of being out. I need to get back to my dog. He's my version of the breathing otter. Maybe we were brought into each other's lives for that very reason; maybe Cookie was sent to glue the foundations together. I smile when I think about that; about our newly formed little family.

It's going to be okay, I tell myself. It'll all be okay.

I lay against Riot's back in the bath, enjoying the hot suds and steam. Cookie's lying on the bathmat just next to us, and he's snoring.

"Did you ever have any pets growing up?" I ask.

Riot's hands are at my hips, my back to his front. It feels so natural lying like this, so normal. "Charles had a dog, but he was old and grumpy. He lived till he was eighteen. Some watchdog," Riot chuckles. "I always liked dogs though. I never had one of my own before because I was always movin' around and had no stability — that wouldn't be fair and frankly, I didn't wanna get too attached to anyone or anythin'. It made the job easier."

"Do you miss it?"

"Not as much as I thought I would."

"So it's not hard? Killing people?"

"When you say it like that, it sounds pretty bad, but you gotta remember these people weren't the pillars of society. They were bad people."

"Then you were doing the world a service?"

"I like to think so." He slides his hand over my stomach; an area I try to avoid bringing attention to because I have a tummy. Riot doesn't seem to mind though. "I like to think that the world is a better place because I offed a few drug cartel leaders, corrupt politicians and underworld figures. Doesn't mean they don't pop up out of the woodwork somewhere else, but it all helps."

"Does the fact there's been a prospect tailing us have anything to do with that?"

He stops his fingers from circling my stomach. "Clever girl. You are observant."

"I saw Giggs outside my office earlier. I didn't get a chance to say anything when I got to your place because of… well, you know."

He kisses the back of my head. "It's nothin' for you to worry about. Just a precaution."

"You know the ladies chat, right?"

"Chat?"

"In the group chat. They added me. If you don't tell me, one of them will."

He sighs. "The ol' ladies of the club should not be sayin' shit to anyone. What their old man tells them is supposed to be private."

"Right. Uh, huh. Like pillow talk is ever gonna stay private."

"What do you talk about in there?"

"Boring girl stuff mainly." Okay, it's far from it, but he doesn't have to know that.

"Like I said, it's nothin', babe. Somethin' from my past which isn't anythin' because it's back in Chicago. I killed someone important, and now people are bein' offed like flies."

"And you think they're gonna come for you next?"

"Nope. I don't think that. If I did, I'd be bein' more careful than I am with you. We wouldn't be goin' out by ourselves if I thought it was dangerous. I wouldn't be lettin' you out of the house, or go to work."

I balk. " Letting me out of the house? I think we can take the crazy down just a notch or two."

"Babe. I've been a little, uh, taken with you for a while now, don't know if that's obvious."

"Like that time you stalked me and found out where I live?"

"Stalkin' is somethin' bad, sinister. I'd never do anythin' like that. It was for your own safety, and luckily I did because that fuckface Ian showed up."

"He's nothing to me."

He bites down on my neck, sucking the skin. "Did you like it when you saw him beaten up? Knowin' I did that for you?"

"A sick part of me did, and the good girl part was horrified," I admit.

He snorts. "Good girl? My baby thinks she's a good girl? "

"What would happen if your good girl decided to be a very bad girl? "

"Keep talkin' like that and you might find out."

"You said back in Mississippi you were going to put me over your knee when I said that stuff you didn't like me saying about myself."

I feel his dick twitch beneath me. I know we've been at it like rabbits, but I can't get enough of him. The sex is freaking fantastic and having his body wrapped around mine while we lie here, relaxing, does nothing for my over-stimulated body.

"Yeah, I can't deny I've got fantasies of takin' you over my knee, but you're always an angel, so you've not given me reason to lately."

"That's hardly a good excuse," I laugh. "I'm not an angel all the time."

He moves his lips to the other side of my neck, biting down there, too. "Most of the time."

"Are you marking me so my parents will see?"

"No, I'm markin' you so that if any man even thinks about takin' what's mine, they'll have their eyes gouged out."

I sigh. "Such a romantic."

He chuckles, licking my skin after he's sucked it and I know it'll leave a hickey. "I wanna put my marks all over you, especially between your thighs."

"So do it."

"You want to be a bad girl, don't you, Kitten? "

"I love it when you call me that."

" Kitten ?"

"Yes, it's sexy when you say it."

"It suits you." He moves his hands up to cup my breasts and I hum in appreciation.

"These are mine."

"Everything is yours."

He moves one hand down as I part my legs, cupping my pussy. "This, too."

"I never want any other man, Riot. Just you."

"Makin' my dick so hard when you say things like that."

"I waited for you," I tell him. "I only used my vibrator, imagining it was you. I never wanted another man after Mississippi."

He groans, moving his hand back to cup my tits, playing with my nipples. "Daddy wants to suck these all night long."

"Does it soothe you?" I whisper. "Sucking my tits? I notice you like to do that a lot, especially when you're wound up."

"Perceptive little thing, aren't you?"

"I don't mind," I say. "You can suck on them any time you like, just gotta tell me when you need it."

"Fuck."

"So, you approve?"

"I think we need to get out of this bath so I can show you how much I approve of it."

I laugh. "Impatient. You know we're going to screw ourselves to death, don't you?"

"Nothin' wrong with that."

We've avoided talking about my parents, and I'm glad. I've got enough tension going on at the moment, and I don't want to focus on that tonight. There will be plenty of time to think it over tomorrow when I go to the hospital.

I rise from the bath, stepping out as I grab one of the towels from the rail, turning, Riot moves to his knees, watching me as he plants both his hands on the side of the tub. He looks so glorious. Like he's the angel sent from heaven, not me.

His beautiful body is adorned in tattoos. His muscular frame takes up most of the room in the space, and I love it. His handsome face is relaxed, and those blue eyes make me want to melt into a puddle.

I dry myself quickly, then tie my towel around my waist, moving back over to him. I cup my tits and move one to his mouth. "Do you need this now, baby?"

He groans, opening his mouth as I slide closer, my nipple pressed to his lips as he sucks. His hands cup over mine and my eyes flutter closed. Knowing this soothes him and excites him as much as it does me, makes my insides burn with need.

He moves a hand to my towel and pulls it off. My eyes spring open and he's watching me. I've never seen anything so hot; Riot suckling on my breasts as I try not to lose it too soon. With him I come quickly, over and over, not like with other men who just want to get their thrills and not worry about my needs.

I look down as Cookie turns the other way, resuming his snoring. He's so content and that makes me happy.

"Finger yourself," he mutters.

I slide my fingers into my wet heat and I start to play with myself. I know he was hard in the water, and seeing me do this won't last long. I know how hot he gets when I touch myself.

"It feels so good," I groan as he moves his mouth to my other breast. I hold that one to his mouth too. "Touch yourself for me, Myles. Show me what I do to you."

He rises up further onto his knees, spreading them as one hand reaches for his cock and I stare down at it. His hand works over his hard length, pulling and tugging hard as my mouth runs dry.

"Fuck," he mutters. "Gonna come like this if you?—"

I reach down and take over, pulling on his cock as he shouts my name, spurting in my hand as I watch him explode all over the side of the bath.

This. Man. Is. Freaking. Hot.

His eyes are dark as he watches me. "You made me come before you."

I nod. "Yes."

"Is that a good girl thing to do?"

"No, Daddy. Maybe I need to be punished."

He rises from the bath, a sly grin on his face. "The time has come."